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Postecoglou Secure - At Present

Starting from the early hours today, the club were not intending to fire their manager but the unpredictable nature of the club and its owner Evangelos Marinakis indicates circumstances may shift rapidly.

Supporters made their voices known on Thursday, demanding the departure of the coach who took over from an East Midlands hero and it is difficult to reverse the sentiment once that occurs.

The Australian is the owner's choice, the owner having lined him up well ahead of the previous manager was dismissed. Everyone at Forest expected a time of adjustment but to be winless in six matches and suffering defeats at home to Sunderland and Midtjylland were not part of the thoughts when he joined recently.

Postecoglou was intended to alter the approach but he has his way of playing, which is very different to his predecessor, so there is an acceptance that these things take time. Tolerance, however, is not a trait often observed at the club. The upcoming league fixtures are against Newcastle, Chelsea and Bournemouth, so things are not going to get easier for the manager.

Liverpool's Keeper Out for Liverpool

The Liverpool manager has been speaking:

“Alisson is absent from the team this weekend and he won’t travel to Brazil for the international duty. The forward is returning to training today, let’s see where he is. The same can be said for Frederico [Chiesa]. It hinges on how quickly they heal.

“I will be surprised if he [Alisson] will be there for the initial match after the international break. From there on progress may be a bit faster or a bit more gradual. It’s difficult to say. I’m not medically trained so I cannot tell you if it is the identical issue.”

Giorgi Mamardashvili is set to start in place of Alisson.

“I think we’ve seen against Southampton how seamlessly he has fitted in. We knew we were signing a high-quality goalkeeper. When he made his debut that’s a way of seeing he’s adapted excellently to the team. It’s expected because he’s a skilled goalkeeper. Now he can do what we’ve had to do so many occasions in the previous seasons replacing the main keeper, like we’ve handled previously.”

Weekend Matches

• Tonight
• Cherries host Fulham (8pm)
• Tomorrow
• Whites face Spurs
• Arsenal v West Ham
• United meet Sunderland
• Blues clash with Reds
• Day after
• Aston Villa v Burnley
• Newcastle v Nottingham Forest
• Wolves battle Seagulls
• Everton v Crystal Palace
• Bees welcome City

Continental Action

It was a good night for the remaining UK teams in continental competitions. And a disappointing evening for the Scottish clubs.

Crystal Palace prolonged their winning streak as their manager kicks off continental campaign to flying start.

European tournament roundup: McGinn secures Villa win as Scottish sides suffer defeats.

Supporters' Response at Forest's Stadium

The scenes were nearly unprecedented on a sobering evening, many local fans singing: “You’re getting sacked in the morning.” Then the same fans twisted the knife, voicing the title of his predecessor Nuno Espírito Santo, with a number turning towards Evangelos Marinakis watching on with his own giant private television in the directors’ box. This resulted in a dismal spectacle.

Weekend Lookahead

Without a loss in the league since their initial match, the Cherries strong start has been halted by back-to-back ties: at home to Newcastle and at Elland Road recently. The Cottagers visit the stadium on Friday, presenting Bournemouth a presentable chance of recapturing winning ways and going second. After a turbulent summer, the manager has sought stability in his lineup choices.

Behind 2-1 at Leeds, the Bournemouth manager made a three substitutions to reintroduce three usual starters – David Brooks, Alex Scott and Marcus Tavernier – to his XI and was compensated with a late leveller. Bournemouth have also preserved defensive stability, conceding just once in four games between the away games to Liverpool and Leeds. Marcos Senesi, often playing in an otherwise new defensive unit, has been crucial to the team’s continuity. The centre-back earned praise from the boss for his defensive work and danger at attacking set-pieces – as evidenced by his aerial pass for the leveling goal at Elland Road.